scholarly journals Adenosine as a constituent of the brain and of isolated cerebral tissues, and its relationship to the generation of adenosine 3′:5′-cyclic monophosphate

1977 ◽  
Vol 164 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Newman ◽  
Henry McIlwain

1. Adenosine was determined in rapidly frozen rat and guinea-pig brain and in guinea-pig cerebral tissues after incubation in vitro. Adenosine concentrations were approx. 2nmol/g wet wt. in frozen tissue, diminished at room temperature, and returned to 2nmol/g on incubation in oxygenated glucose/salines. 2. Superfusion with noradrenaline then increased the tissue's adenosine concentration 2.5-fold, and hypoxia caused an 8-fold increase. 3. Electrical stimulation alone or in the presence of noradrenaline or histamine increased the tissue's adenosine and cyclic AMP, but adenosine concentrations reached their peak later and were maintained for longer than those of cyclic AMP. 4. Superfusion with l-glutamate with and without electrical excitation raised adenosine concentrations to 15–34nmol/g. The increases in cyclic AMP on electrical stimulation, superfusion with glutamate or a combination of these treatments were diminished by addition of adenosine deaminase or theophylline. 5. It is concluded that adenosine can be produced endogenously in cerebral systems, in sufficient concentrations to accelerate an adenosine-activated adenylate cyclase, and by this route can contribute to the cerebral actions of electrical stimulation and of the neurohumoral agents. In certain instances cyclic AMP as substrate contributes to an increase in adenosine.

1972 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 965-973 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Pull ◽  
H. McIlwain

1. Uptake of [14C]adenine and [14C]adenosine from surrounding fluids to guinea-pig cerebral tissues was measured during incubation in vitro. Output of 14C-labelled compounds from the loaded tissues to superfusion fluids occurred on continued incubation, at about 0.2% of the tissue's content/min, and this rate was increased about fourfold by electrical excitation of the tissue. 2. The compounds released from the tissue to superfusion fluids included adenine, adenosine, inosine and hypoxanthine with small amounts of nucleotides. Output of all these compounds, except adenine, increased on excitation. Media depleted of oxygen or glucose also increased the output of 14C-labelled derivatives from [14C]adenine-loaded tissues, and this augmented output was further increased by electrical stimulation. 3. [14C]Adenosine was found as the main product from [14C]ATP when this was added at low concentrations to fluids superfusing cerebral tissue. Metabolic and neurohumoural explanations of the liberation and action of adenosine derivatives in the tissue are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diogo Vila Verde ◽  
Marco de Curtis ◽  
Laura Librizzi

Introduction: It has been proposed that seizures induce IL-1β biosynthesis in astrocytes and increase blood brain barrier (BBB) permeability, even without the presence of blood borne inflammatory molecules and leukocytes. In the present study we investigate if seizures induce morphological changes typically observed in activated glial cells. Moreover, we will test if serum albumin extravasation into the brain parenchyma exacerbates neuronal hyperexcitability by inducing astrocytic and microglial activation.Methods: Epileptiform seizure-like events (SLEs) were induced in limbic regions by arterial perfusion of bicuculline methiodide (BMI; 50 μM) in the in vitro isolated guinea pig brain preparation. Field potentials were recorded in both the hippocampal CA1 region and the medial entorhinal cortex. BBB permeability changes were assessed by analyzing extravasation of arterially perfused fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)–albumin. Morphological changes in astrocytes and microglia were evaluated with tridimensional reconstruction and Sholl analysis in the ventral CA1 area of the hippocampus following application of BMI with or without co-perfusion of human serum albumin.Results: BMI-induced SLE promoted morphological changes of both astrocytes and microglia cells into an activated phenotype, confirmed by the quantification of the number and length of their processes. Human-recombinant albumin extravasation, due to SLE-induced BBB impairment, worsened both SLE duration and the activated glia phenotype.Discussion: Our study provides the first direct evidence that SLE activity per se is able to promote the activation of astro- and microglial cells, as observed by their changes in phenotype, in brain regions involved in seizure generation; we also hypothesize that gliosis, significantly intensified by h-recombinant albumin extravasation from the bloodstream to the brain parenchyma due to SLE-induced BBB disruption, is responsible for seizure activity reinforcement.


2017 ◽  
Vol 130 ◽  
pp. 21-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Uva ◽  
Davide Boido ◽  
Massimo Avoli ◽  
Marco de Curtis ◽  
Maxime Lévesque

1978 ◽  
Vol 06 (01) ◽  
pp. 61-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. L. WEN ◽  
W. K. K. HO ◽  
H. K. WONG ◽  
Z. D. MEHAL ◽  
Y. H. NG ◽  
...  

Forty-two heroin addicts and 31 normal persons were examined for the effect of acupuncture and electrical stimulation (AES) on plasma ACTH, cortisol and cyclic-AMP levels. Both ACTH and cortisol levels were reduced significantly in the addicts after treatment whereas no such significant reduction was observed in the normals. Plasma cyclic-AMP level was not affected in either group. Taken together, results from the present study suggest that the mechanism of AES in the treatment of addiction may have a neuroendocrinological basis. This hypothesis is particularly attractive in view of the isolation of opiate-like peptides from the brain.


1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 934-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Dolby ◽  
Lewis J. Kleinsmith

The experiments presented in this paper examine the mechanisms underlying the ability of cannabinoids to alter the in vivo levels of cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) in mouse brain. It was found that changes in cyclic AMP levels are a composite result of direct actions of cannabinoids on adenylate cyclase (EC 4.6.1.1) activity and indirect actions involving the potentiation or inhibition of biogenic amine induced activity of adenylate cyclase. Furthermore, the long-term intraperitoneal administration of 1-(−)-Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol to mice produced a form of phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.17) in the brain whose activity is not stimulated by Ca2+, although its basal specific activity is similar to that of control animals. In vitro, the presence of the cannabinoids caused no significant changes in activity of brain PDE at the concentrations tested. Some correlations are presented which imply that many of the observed behavioral and physiological actions of the cannabinoids in mammalian organisms may be mediated via cyclic AMP mechanisms.


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 2441-2450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solange van der Linden ◽  
Ferruccio Panzica ◽  
Marco de Curtis

Fast oscillations at 25–80 Hz (gamma activity) have been proposed to play a role in attention-related mechanisms and synaptic plasticity in cortical structures. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the preservation of the entorhinal cortex is necessary to maintain gamma oscillations in the hippocampus. Because gamma activity can be reproduced in vitro by cholinergic activation, this study examined the characteristics of gamma oscillations induced by arterial perfusion or local intracortical injections of carbachol in the entorhinal cortex of the in vitro isolated guinea pig brain preparation. Shortly after carbachol administration, fast oscillatory activity at 25.2–28.2 Hz was observed in the medial but not in the lateral entorhinal cortex. Such activity was transiently associated with oscillations in the theta range that showed a variable pattern of distribution in the entorhinal cortex. No oscillatory activity was observed when carbachol was injected in the lateral entorhinal cortex. Gamma activity in the medial entorhinal cortex showed a phase reversal at 200–400 μm, had maximal amplitude at 400–500 μm depth, and was abolished by arterial perfusion of atropine (5 μM). Local carbachol application in the medial entorhinal cortex induced gamma oscillations in the hippocampus, whereas no oscillations were observed in the amygdala and in the piriform, periamygdaloid, and perirhinal cortices ipsilateral and contralateral to the carbachol injection. Hippocampal oscillations had higher frequency than the gamma activity recorded in the entorhinal cortex, suggesting the presence of independent generators in the two structures. The selective ability of the medial but not the lateral entorhinal cortex to generate gamma activity in response to cholinergic activation suggests a differential mode of signal processing in entorhinal cortex subregions.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1059
Author(s):  
Saif Ahmad Khan ◽  
Saleha Rehman ◽  
Bushra Nabi ◽  
Ashif Iqubal ◽  
Nida Nehal ◽  
...  

Atazanavir (ATZ) presents poor brain availability when administered orally, which poses a major hurdle in its use as an effective therapy for the management of NeuroAIDS. The utilization of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) in conjunction with the premeditated use of excipients can be a potential approach for overcoming the limited ATZ brain delivery. Methods: ATZ-loaded NLC was formulated using the quality by design-enabled approach and further optimized by employing the Box–Behnken design. The optimized nanoformulation was then characterized for several in vitro and in vivo assessments. Results: The optimized NLC showed small particle size of 227.6 ± 5.4 nm, high entrapment efficiency (71.09% ± 5.84%) and high drug loading capacity (8.12% ± 2.7%). The release pattern was observed to be biphasic exhibiting fast release (60%) during the initial 2 h, then trailed by the sustained release. ATZ-NLC demonstrated a 2.36-fold increase in the cumulative drug permeated across the rat intestine as compared to suspension. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed 2.75-folds greater Cmax in the brain and 4-fold improvement in brain bioavailability signifying the superiority of NLC formulation over drug suspension. Conclusion: Thus, NLC could be a promising avenue for encapsulating hydrophobic drugs and delivering it to their target site. The results suggested that increase in bioavailability and brain-targeted delivery by NLC, in all plausibility, help in improving the therapeutic prospects of atazanavir.


1988 ◽  
Vol 254 (2) ◽  
pp. G217-G223 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Singh ◽  
I. Asada ◽  
A. Owlia ◽  
T. J. Collins ◽  
J. C. Thompson

We have examined the direct effect of somatostatin (SRIF) on basal and stimulated amylase release from guinea pig pancreatic acini using the in vitro method of continuous perifusion. The optimal conditions of flow rate, chamber size, acinar cell volume per chamber, and period of secretagogue infusion were defined for the perifusion system. The kinetic profile of amylase release in response to cholecystokinin-octapeptide (CCK-8), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and SRIF was studied. Under optimal conditions, the acini were found to remain equally responsive to an ED50 dose of CCK-8 (0.5-0.8 nM) for 12 h of perifusion. The duration of amylase response to any given dose of CCK-8, given for the optimal period of 5 min, was 80-100 min. The total amylase released minus the basal release divided by 90 min (delta response) in response to the maximum effective (Maxeff) dose of CCK-8 (100 nM) was 14,667 +/- 1,433 U/l (amounting to a 10-fold increase compared with basal values). When compared with the amount of total delta amylase released in response to the Maxeff dose of CCK, the total amylase released in response to the Maxeff doses of SRIF (1 microM) and VIP (10 nM) was 10-21% and 51-59%, respectively. SRIF (100 nM) significantly decreased VIP- (0.1-1.0 nM) stimulated amylase release by 45-70% in the perifusion method of study but had no significant effect on the CCK-stimulated amylase release. This suggests that the perifusion method can be used for investigating the mechanism of SRIF-mediated inhibition of VIP effects on amylase release in an in vitro system.


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